Save emails to usb drive?
 

I use Thunderbird if it matters, but how the heck do I save them in bulk to a USB drive? I have a few thousand and I just want the archive. Seems crazy to me but it won't let me. Thanks in advance.

I did a google search for

thunderbird backup email

and got a ton of hits. There are instructions on how to do it as well as utilities.

You've just got to do a little search.

Have not used Thunderbird in a while.

There are basically two ways that mail is stored, flat file or database.

Flat file means every email is an individual file on your hard drive, DB means they are all stored in one file that can get huge and if it gets corrupt can be a ***** to recover.

Most mail apps support mBox format.

What I would try is this, click hold and drag an email from TB to your desktop, if it makes a file you are good. Also add a folder in TB, likely now you have Inbox, Outbox, Sent, Junk etc...

Add one as you would to keep mail organized, put a couple of pieces of mail in it. Drag folder to desktop. Should give you an mBox.

Mboxs can be imported to a variety of different mail apps.

A ton of hits indeed, all very complicated and it surprises the heck out of me that I cannot "select all" and "save to" any old folder/drive I want.

All those links want me to download some extension, but wait...that extension first requires you download another extension to make that one work....blah blah blah...Seriously WTF?

Ok, I tried the drag and it did not work, didn't acknowledge I was trying to even do anything... Then I upgraded to the latest version and it allws me to drag into a folder! We are getting somewhere now, thx.

Hold the phone professor, looks like it will only let me do that one e-mail at a time. Why? Again I say with authority, WTF????

Try selecting a bunch of emails and right click or look for a "Move To" option.

No dice, when I try to drag a folder it gives me the circle with a cross and just won't let me "put" it anywhere.

I can move them as a group to any folder/subfolder in Thunderbird but not to the desktop or any other folder.

Huh, I just installed Thunderbird and does not look like any apparent way to accomplish what you want.

That's really surprising. I've never seen a mail client that behave this way.

Have you considered switching mail clients?

99% that a new mail client will simply import your old stuff and let you make backups.

Thanks, I appreciate you going through all that trouble. Any recommendations on a good (free) email program that will allow simple drag/drop backup?